The Only Reason We Disagree In The Bloggernacle

By: Rusty - February 15, 2006

I knew it! It’s everyone else’s fault when they don’t understand that I was joking. A recent academic study found that people only have a 50-50 chance of interpreting correctly the tone of any email message (and presumably of blogs/comments) but that think they have gotten it right 90 percent of the time. Additionally, senders of emails (blogs/comments) think that their tone will be interpreted correctly 80 percent of the time. “People often think the tone or emotion in their messages is obvious because they ‘hear’ the tone they intend in their head as they write,” says Nicholas Epley, one of the authors of the study.

My feeling is that if you’re not in the 80 percent who interpret my tone correctly I never wanted to talk with you anyway.

11 Comments

  1. RUSTY, YOU SAD-SACK LOSER! DON’T YOU DARE MISJUDGE THE TONE OF THIS COMMENT!

    Comment by RoastedTomatoes — February 15, 2006 @ 3:53 pm

  2. RT, I can’t believe you’d just say something like that. Usually you’re so nice and cordial.

    You’ve changed.

    Comment by Rusty — February 15, 2006 @ 3:55 pm

  3. You know, Rusty, here’s a funny side-effect of psychological-nuance-free text-based communication. I know you’re joking (as I obviously was in my comment above), and yet I still feel a little bit sad to read that statement!

    Comment by RoastedTomatoes — February 15, 2006 @ 4:42 pm

  4. I don’t understand how I came to be affiliated with hot-heads like you two.

    Comment by John C. — February 15, 2006 @ 5:15 pm

  5. You’re all wrong!

    And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

    Comment by Ivan Wolfe — February 15, 2006 @ 6:57 pm

  6. Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by misunderstanding. Kaimi

    Comment by annegb — February 15, 2006 @ 7:57 pm

  7. I always thought it was because I am Canadian and everyone else is American.

    Comment by Kim Siever — February 15, 2006 @ 8:46 pm

  8. Actually, I’ve come to believe it’s because I’m the only sane one among us. The rest of you are clearly insane.

    Comment by EmilyS — February 16, 2006 @ 11:27 am

  9. Ho Ho Ho, EmilyS, I just know you meant to put a smiley after your comment but forgot, right? RIGHT?

    Comment by Mark IV — February 16, 2006 @ 11:57 am

  10. Dude, Mark IV, just because Emily didn’t put a smiley doesn’t mean you should call her a ho!

    Comment by Rusty — February 16, 2006 @ 2:15 pm

  11. Mark IV. I never smile. ever.

    Thank you Rusty, for your chivalry. ;-)

    Comment by EmilyS — February 16, 2006 @ 3:50 pm